Latch



Patented .lune 2, 1931 UNITI-:D STATES PATENrorFl-ca BIGKNELL HALL, F QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS LATCH Application led December 81, 1927, Serial No. 243,838. Renewed April 9, 1980.

This invention relates to latches and a primary object is to provide a simple and secure device of this kind wherein the bolt is locked in latching position. My invention finds a particular application to bolts of the double beveled type adapted to retain the y door or similar closure tightly closed, free from any rattle, in spite of variations in the position of the keeper or of the effective lo stop surface against which the door closes. In the embodiment of my inventionwhich I herein disclose by way of example a stop or dog 'ng means for the bolt is provided which ollows up the projecting movement of the latter to hold the bolt against repression in any projected position within its range.

My invention will be well understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying draw-- ings illustrati-ng a single exemplary construction and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the latch casing exposing the interior mechanism, with parts of the latter broken away;

Fi 2 is a similar view with the parts in a di erent position; and Y Figs. 3 and 4 are sections through a door and a jamb on the planes of the lines 3-3 and 4-4 of Figs. 1 and 2 respectively.

Referring to the drawings, 1 have there shown by way of example alatch or lock of the mortise type having a case 5 in which is received a slide bolt 7 guided in the endplate 9 of the case and in a lug 1l disposed interiorly thereof, shoulders 12 beingl provided to` limit the outward projecting movement of .the bolt. As best seen in Figs. 3V and 4, this bolt may be of the double beveled type having on the inner side a beveled surface 13 ada ted to cooperate in the closing movement o the door with the bevel 15 of a strike to repress the bolt. The outer side has an oppositely facing bevel 17 which rests in latching engagement with the strike when the door is closed, the strike conveniently being provided with the diagonal face 19 to cooperate with the same. The engagement of the surfaces 17 and 19 when the bolt is projected tends to draw the door inwardly into the stop rabbet 21. It will -be apparent that the bolt mayv come to rest at various positions along the surface 19 and thus, if the effective stop surface provided in the rabbet varies, for instance, if there is some obstruction preventing the door from completely closing, or if bumpers against which the door closes are worn so as to permit the door to move further inward than when they were new, the door will nevertheless close perfectly securely, will latch as soon as the left hand'end of the beveled face 60 17, viewing Fig. 4, passes the outward edge of the ope'ning in the strike and remain latched until the bolt is repressed or retracted. This type ofbolt is in itself not broadly new.

To hold the bolt projected once it has engaged behind the surface 19 of the strike, it may be provided with the diagonal abutment surface 23. The bolt is here shown as provided on opposite sides with similar but oppositely sloping abutment surfaces 23 and 23a, this being to permitthe reversal of the bolt .to suit different installations. As far as the operation of the latch organized and applied as illustrated in the drawings is concerned, the surface 23a may be ignored. Cooperating with the abutment 23 is a suitable sto having an inclined edge 25 to cooperate wit the inclined abutment surface 23, this edge herein being lformed as a portion of a 8o wedge 27 adapted to wedge into position between the said abutment and a rib 29 on the interior of the casing 5 along which rib the wedge slides. The angle of the faces 23 and 25 'is such'that, with the parts in the position 85 of Fig. 1, pressure on the bolt will not be effective to move the wedge 27 upwardly. A suitable spring 31 may serve automatically to advance the Wedge. across the abutment face and it will be understood that under the 1 of the strike plate,

pin 37 on the upper end of the wedge in such manner that turning of the spindle may be effective to lift the wedge the force of the spring 31 pression of the bolt.

In the form of the invention shown where-l in the normal position of the bolt is the projected one andit isheld in such position by the action of the wedge 27, it will be apparent that, if only the elements hitherto described were utilized, the door could'not be slammed without operation of the handle to retract the bolt. To permit the door to be swung shut I provide a member 39 adapted to project at the edge of theA door for cooperation with the j amb, for instance, with the bevel 15 to effect an initial release of the wedge 27 before the bevel 13 en ages with the strike 15 so as to permit that vel to act to cam the bolt inwardly, thereafter to shoot out into the opening in the strike in the manner customary with slide bolts. Herein the member 39 is slidably mounted in the body of the bolt 7 itself and has a beveled end normally projecting, as bst shown in Fig. 3, slightly beyond the face 13, and in the closing movement of the door it first engages the bevel 15 and is pressed inwardly until flush with j the same to the position shown in Fig. 4. This movement is utilized upwardly against and permit the reto effect an'initial releasing 'movement of the fi wedge 27 and I have herein shown the member 39 as provided with lugs 41 (two lugs being provided to permit reversal of the parts as in the case ofthe surfaces 23 and 23a) and the bell crank lever 43 pivoted in the case 5 connects one of these lugs with wedge 27 so that, assuming the parts to be in the position s hown in Fig. 1 and the door open, if it is swung shut the outer end of the element 39 engages the bevel 15 of the strike and said member is tion of Figs. 3 and 4 and the wedge 27 is slightly raised, releasing the bolt. As the main bevel 13 of the bolt now acts on the stop plate, the bolt is pushed back bodily,A carry- 39. The separation trated in Fig.,2, is maintained during this -movement and the bolt may be pressed back in the ordinary manner free of any restraint by the wedge stop and against the sprin resistance of spring 31 until vthe point o the bolt passes the edge of the opening in the pressed back to the posid lation.

It will be noted that in the construction shown when the handle spindle 33 is operated to retract the bolt b hand the wedge stop 27 will lirst be lifte to the position shown in Fig. 2, drawing member 39 inwardl to the position of Fig. 4, and the continued lifting of the wedge stop by the 'arm 39 will through the bell crank 43 retract the main bolt 7, freeing the end of the bolt from the strike and permitting the door to be opened freely. This construction is a marked advantageover various double beveled bolts of the. prior art wherein the door had to be pulled open and the bolt repressed by the camming action of the strike on the outer bevel thereof consequent on the pull.

To provide for locking the latch against manual operationthe spmdle 33 may carry a cam-like member having an abutment surface 45- which preferably edge 47 of increasing radius. This member .may be locked to prevent movement of the arm 35-by means of the spindle which herein takes the form of a wedge 49 sliding on the rib -29 on the side opposite to the wedge stop 27 and having the diagonal locking surface 51 adapted to cooperate with the surface 45. It will be understood that if this wedge 49 is raised from the position of Figs. 1 and 2 sothat the surfaces 45 and 51 o pose each other, the s indle 33 cannot Ee turned. Moreover, wlibre the edge 47 ofincreasing radius is provided, movement tending to turn the spindle binds the cam-like member more rmly against the wedge 49 and the tendency of theformer is always to press said wedge further upward into locking position. I have herein shown a spring 53 which normally'tends to shoot wedge 49 upwardly into osition to lock the spindle. The wedge may be held in depressed position` b the springpressed swinging detent 55. o release 'the detent and lock the door the former may be swung to one side by means of a key inserted through key-hole57 and operating on the I have described in detail the particular Y embodiment of my invention shown by way of example in the accompanylng drawings.

merges into an i epending tail 59 of the detent to swing the had for its purpose makin The detailed character of the description has plain the cony struction and `operation o the particular illustrative device therein sh'wn and is not to 'the principles of my invention, and what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent I shall express in the following claims.

Claims: o l. In a latch a double beveled bolt, a diag- I onally disposed abutment surface `moving therewith and a cooperating wedge automatically advanced along the same to follow up any projecting movement of the bolt, the angle of said surface and wedge being such as to resist retracting pressure on the bolt.

2. In a latch a double beveled bolt, an abutment thereon, a member movable across said abutment as the bolt is projected and serving to maintain the bolt in any projected position within its range and means actuated on closing movement of the door to move said member away from the abutment to release the bolt for repression.

3. In a latchV a double beveled bolt, an abutment thereon, a member movable across said abutment as the bolt is' projected and serving to maintain the bolt in any projected position within its range and a member projecting for cooperation with the door jamb for actuation thereby to move said member away from the abutment to release the bolt for repression by a strike. 4. In a latch a double beveledJ bolt, an abutment thereon and a member movable across said abutment as the bolt is projected and serving to maintain the bolt in any projected position within its range.

- dependently of actuation of said manually 5. In a latch a boltbeveled on its outer side to hold a door in a multiplicity of closed positions, an automatically advanced wedge Yserving to follow up and lock the bolt in any project-ed position within its range, manually operable means for withdrawing the wedge to release the bolt, and a member projecting for cooperation with a door jamb for actuation thereby to govern the operation of said wedge to permit the door to be slammed-inoperable means and the subsequent automatic projection of said bolt behind a-keeper.

.6. In a latch, in combination with a bolt, abutment means automatically advanced to follow up projecting movement of the bolt and serving to lock it against repression in any projected positionwithin its range, manually operable means for initially retracting said abutment and sequentially retracting the bolt and a member projecting for cooperation with a door jamb for actuation thereby to govern the operation of said abutment means to permit the door to be slammed independentlyA of actuation of said manually operable means and the subsequent automatic tion-ofV said bolt-behind a keeper.V

f 7. In Aa "latch, in combination" with a a detent for locking the bolt in projected position, a member projecting to cooperate lwith a jamb and having limited retracting projecand having limited inward lost'motion with respect thereto, an operative connection betweensaid member and said stop and a man1 ually operable device for reversely moving said stop. v

9. In a latch, in combination, a slide bolt having a beveled face to provide for its operation by a strike, an abutment on the bolt, a stop having an inclined edge'cooperating with the abutment and automatically advanced past the same to lock the bolt in projected position, a member 'movably mounted on the bolt and having an end normally rojecting beyond the beveled face of the olt to engagethe strike, a connection between said member and the sto whereby theadvance and withdrawal o the latter is concomitant with the projection and repression of the former, and a manually operable device for elfectingsuch withdrawal and repression.

10. In a latch a casing having a rib therein, a bolt having an abutment, a stop having an inclined edge cooperating with said abutment and slidable along one side of the rib, a rotary member on the opposite side of the rib having an arm connected to said stopl to move the same, said member having an abutment surface associated therewith, a locking element for said member having an inclined edge cooperating with said abutment surface and slidable along the other sidey o f the rib, and means for moving said element.

11. In a latch, in combination with a member which turns to retract the bolt, an element turning therewith and having an abutment face, means to prevent rotation of said member comprising a stop having a cooperating locking face, said stop being automatically projected into cooperation with said member, a detent for holding said stop retracted and means providing for the alternative release of said detent and retraction of said stop.

, 12. In a latch, in combination with a member which turns to retract the bolt,y an element turning therewith and having an edge of increasing radius, means to prevent opera- 5 tion of said member comprising a stop automatically projected past said edge and against which it is adapted to bind on turning movement, a detent for holding said stop retracted and means providing for the alternative release of said detent and retraction of said stop.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

BICKNELL HALL. 

